South is another restaurant I visited during the Appetite Stimulus Plan event. I was there with two of the guys I work with for a quick lunch and we had a fabulous time.

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I hate drippy salads and this one was just perfect. My only tiny small complaint is when the lettuce leaves are just so darn big. But I think I can get over that.

The previous time I was here I had the fish and chips, which are outstanding and bursting with flavor. I particularly enjoy their wine list as it’s totally unique and not the same old California and French wines. They’ve got wines from Tasmania and Australia and the way the break it up on the wine list is really fun.

Why is South so festive?
(All ratings are out of 10.)
Food: 8
Drinks: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Price: $30/person
Summary: Must go!

Three words: Beef Short Ribs. They’re simply to die for. If you remember one thing about this post it would have to be that. They change the menu monthly usually to incorporate what’s in season. When I had them they were served with very light mashed potatoes and what seemed like a balsamic reduction with spinach. Oh…snag some oysters while you’re there too.

I’ve been to Salt House several times. I even had my birthday dinner there this past year. What a fabulous place full of flavors. I think by now I’ve had almost everything on the menu. Every time we go it’s just an all around great experience. Try the Old Cubano drink. It’s their take on an Old Cuban…which is my favorite cocktail!

See if you can figure out what the lights hanging from the ceiling are made of.

Why is Salt House so festive?
(All ratings are out of 10.)
Food: 8
Drinks: 9
Atmosphere: 7
Price: $25/person
Summary: Must go!

French and fabulous. Fringale is in my neighborhood of SOMA so it’s a quick walk from work for lunch and an even closer walk from my house for dinner.

I went to Fringale for lunch during the Appetite Stimulus Plan that Open Table did this month. Three course lunch for $21. Not bad. My mixed greens salad was crisp with just the right amount of dressing. I hate salads that have really drippy dressing. That was the most memorable part of the meal. My main course was a pasta dish that was good, but not great.

The atmosphere makes you feel like you just stumbled into a secret place only the locals know about…which is sorta true.

My only complaint is the size of the dessert they offered for lunch! It’s so darn big! I hate wasting food, but who can eat like that and then go back to work?! I just want a taste!

Anyway…you should go if you’re in the neighborhood.

Why is Fingale so festive?
(All ratings are out of 10.)
Food: 7
Drinks: I had water. The wine list looked great though.
Atmosphere: 8
Price: $20/person
Summary: Worth a visit.

My new obsession. Nothing else really needs to be said. Blue Barn is quite possibly the best lunch place in the entire Bay. It’s in the notoriously difficult to find parking area of the Marina in SF. As most of you know, I live in the Easy Bay. Even with gas being as expensive as it is my little Prius and I have no problem making the trip across the bridge to dine at this haunt.

They make sandwiches and salads using organic and sustainably grown meats and produce. They also have an option to build your own salad and they let you pretty much create any variations to any of the sandwiches too. My favorite sandwich is the grilled Burrata. (Burrata cheese is also one of my newest obsessions…)The tostada salad is also amazing as well. I can never choose between the two. Add steak to it and it’s positively wonderful.

They also have tons of natural tea and chips to choose from to go with your meal.

I enjoy people watching and this place is my favorite place to do that. It’s located on Chestnut St, which not only makes for great people watching, but it really makes me wish I had a dog to walk!

If you try one place in SF….try Blue Barn.

Why is Blue Barn so festive?
(All ratings are out of 10.)
Food: 9
Drinks: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Price: $15/person
Summary: MUST GO!

I’ve been back to CandyBar and Boulevard since my reviews of both of them. They both got much better the second time.

While I still think Candybar is a bit misguided, they did tell me that they are in the process of re-doing the menu to improve it even more. It’s a great place to go after dinner to have one more drink and something sweet. The atmosphere just can’t be beat either.

I know my review of Boulevard was rather shocking since Boulevard seems to have quite the following around here. I think their filet is just a bit of a let down. I got the short ribs this second time and really enjoyed them. They just had so much more flavor than that silly filet! It could also be that we were able to have some fabulous wine since it was a special occasion. Patz & Hall Durrell Chardonnay and a Hope & Grace pinot noir. The wine alone made the experience.

That’s all for now.

Heston and I went to Slanted Door because everyone we talked to said it was the greatest thing ever.  It’s written up in Zagat and all the travel books and food blogs.  People rave about this place.  How can we go wrong, right?

Well let’s just say I think people talked it up too much.  The food wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t really memorable either.  They had Hanger One Lime, which is always a plus for us. 

I think what really got me about Slanted Door was the atmosphere.  I just can’t handle the loud, touristy, crazy cafeteria feeling that this place induces.  I like to relax and enjoy my dinners and talk with Heston, but we had to practically yell to hear each other.  Plus they sat us at those silly two-person tables that are all in a row and very close.  We basically got to listen to the couples on either side of us the entire time.  I just HATE sitting at those tables.  I feel like I’m sharing my meal with strangers!

I do want to point out though that if they made the place not so sterile and actually inviting then I think the food might taste better too.  That sounds weird I know, but I’m going for the whole experience here.  They just have to fix that and I’ll be back. 

Why is Slanted Door so festive?
(All ratings are out of 10.)
Food: 7
Drinks: 8
Atmosphere: 3
Price: $35/person
Summary: Maybe just get take-out!

Candy Bar just opened about a week ago. It’s in Western Addition area of SF, which I’m sure most of you know has a horrible problem with parking. We drove around for 40 minutes looking for parking. I’m no exaggerating either. We finally parked at Fulton and Masonic in the Lucky parking garage and took a cab down there since it was raining.

Their big idea is to do dessert with a new twist of flavors. A lot of those flavors ended up being savory. They have a dessert tasting menu as well as a very limited savory menu.

We had made a reservation when we called and asked if they had valet parking about 20 minutes prior. It was mostly full of people when we walked in on Friday around 8pm. Heston and I decided to each do the dessert tasting menu so we could try the most dishes. ($14/each) You each get to choose two desserts to try, plus an amuse and mignardise. Here is how it went:

Amuse - Sparkling Meyer lemonade- It tasted a bit minty kind of bubblegum like. Heston’s first reaction was a toothpaste taste. Not that impressive.

Chevre Cheesecake- Coconut sorbet, nicoise olive, caramel- This was the best thing all night, but it was still lacking. It definitely wasn’t cheesecake like. You expect there to be some sort of crumbly crust and there isn’t. It was more of a custard. The taste was unique though.

Warm Vanilla Cake- pickled mango with olive oil- It was just okay. Not much wow factor here. It was warm, which might have been the best part. The pickled mango was nice and added a very different contrast of flavor.

Chocolate Brioche- Balsamic, caramel ice cream, lime yogurt- Everyone is going to laugh, but this tasted totally burned. It looked great, but it did not deliver in your mouth at all! Something was just off. The flavor profile was not dessert like in the slightest.

Blood Orange Baked Alaska-candied fennel, hone comb- Surprising…ly good. Seemed a bit unfocused though. The candied blood orange was again a nice contrast. The fact that the entire thing was so cold took away from it.

Overall Candy Bar was just okay. I’m not sure if I’ll be back though.

Why is Candy Bar so festive?
(All ratings are out of 10.)

Food: 5

Drinks: 5.5

Atmosphere: 7.5

Price: $22/person

Summary- Check it out if you’re in the area!

Since I’m a big fan of Top Chef, I wanted to go check out Jennifer Biesty’s Coco 500 in SF. It’s been on my list to try for a long time, but I had just never had a chance.

I liked the simple decor. I always enjoy places that are nice but opt out of the wine tablecloth and just use a wooden table instead. White tablecloths, while great, aren’t for every night.

I started by ordering the Coco500, which is their signature drink. It’s made with Kaffir lime vodka (Yes!), Thai basil, bitters, lime, seltzer, and raw organic sugar. If you ask me, it was overly sweet, but the Thai basil gives it a great flavor and compliments the Kaffir lime vodka beautifully.

We ordered the mussels with curry sauce and couscous to share. This was my favorite thing all night. The mussels were from Prince Edward Island and were delicious. Anything in curry sauce is great for me!

Then I had the asparagus pizza with spring garlic and goat cheese. This wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t completely memorable either. It was just good. Heston and our good friend Aaron both echoed those sentiments their their main dishes as well.

You can find their menu on here.

Why is Coco500 so festive?
(All ratings are out of 10.)

Food: 6

Drinks: 6

Atmosphere: 7.5

Price: $35/person

After hearing about how we just had to try Boulevard for so long Heston and I finally gave in.  It’s a bit of an early birthday celebration for H.

Our reservation was at 7:15pm, which is pretty early for us.  It was still light outside! They sat us in this cozy little corner table that was tucked away from everyone else.  We ordered our now signature Hanger One Kaffir Lime Gimlets.

To start I had the Mariquita Farm Beets & Red Lettuces salad.  It is served with pistachio and blood orange oil with Mad River goat cheese.  Anything with goat cheese I’m totally sold on.  The beets were marinated perfectly and they were quite tasty with the goat cheese.

Heston had the La Quercia Artisanal Prosciutto & White Asparagus with toasted hazelnuts, arugula, shaved parmesan, white balsamic & extra virgin olive oil.  His asparagus was killer and went supremely with the proscuitto.

Both salads were amazing.

For our main course I had the Filet Mignon.  It had cognac peppercorn sauce that completely fell flat with me.  I was so disappointed with it!  It made the entire filet less than exciting.  It also came with green peppercorn salsa verde over the fingerly potatoes that was disappointing as well.  The whole plate was just bland…

Heston faired better than I did with his BBQ Angus short ribs.  After he ordered it he confessed that he’d never had ribs before.  (He was a vegetarian for most of his life.)  His ribs were amazing.  I don’t really care for ribs, but these were wonderful.

All in all it was a good night.  I would have just been happy with my salad though.  I think I’ll have to try this one again sometime though.

Why is Boulevard so festive?
(All ratings are out of 10.)

Food: 8

Drinks:8

Atmosphere: 7.75

Price: $101/person

Heston wanted to make Valentine’s Day this year extra special so we decided to try Fleur de Lys.  They had a special Valentine’s Day menu that was seriously amazing.  It was the best meal I think I’ve ever had.

Wine:  Patz & Hall Chardonnay Hyde Vinyard

Menu:

White Gazpacho, Truffle Popcorn with ris de veau with sea urchin - How can you go wrong with truffle popcorn?!
Trio of Chestnut- Chestnut soup with Osetra caviar, Chestnut gratin with sea scallop, and Chestnut and crab fritters.  They were pouring our Patz & Hall as this came out and I remember thinking…WOW…this is so wonderful together.  The wine really brought out all the flavors in the chestnuts.

Jumbo Galapago Prawns- with coconut milk, lemon grass, ginger, shiitake and curry vinaigrette.  This was my favorite of the three starters.  I’m a big Thai food fan so when this game out I was in heaven.  The flavors were so bold and perfect.

For my main course I had the “Tender Filet Mignon topped with Seared Foie Gras”.  This was simply the best filet I’ve ever consumed.  Every filet after this one has fallen completely flat.  It came with shaved truffles, truffled mashed potatoes, and the most amazing sauce I’ve ever tasted.  My words are not doing this filet justice and it’s just sad.  I enjoyed this with a wonderful glass of Santa Barbara Pinot Noir

Heston had the “Oven Roasted Boneless Qual on Creamed Corn, Rustic Winter Vegetables”.  He said he truly enjoyed his since he’s sick of having the same old chicken or beef.  I tried some of his and it went so well with the Patz & Hall.

When the sommelier realized Heston is a Hall of Patz & Hall he invited us back to eat anytime we like.  He said we always have a table.  As we walked out of the restaurant…at 12:45am I might add…we were bid a goodnight by none other than Hubert Keller!  We were both in awe.  He’s truly very talented.

I can’t wait to go back!

Why is Fleur de Lys so festive?
(All ratings are out of 10.)

Food: 9.5

Drinks: 9

Atmosphere: 9

Price: $90/person